Chair fixture



Dec. 21, 1965 A. L. ALLRED CHAIR FIXTURE Filed Jan. 6, 19 4 INVENTOR. Arthur L. A/lred ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,224,724 CHAIR FIXTURE Arthur L. Allred, High Point, N.C., assignor to Allred Metal Stamping Works, Inc., High Point, N.C., a corporation of North Carolina Filed Jan. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 335,921 1 Claim. (Cl. 248417) This invention relates to chair fixtures of the type that will permit a chair to revolve about a vertical axis and relates more particularly to a chair swivel for returning the chair seat to a predetermined position after displacement from a predetermined rest position.

Bar stools and swivel chairs of various constructions are generally rotatable about a vertical axis and when the chair occupant arises from the chair, the chair remains in the position to which it has been oriented by the occupant while seated. In those establishments, including homes, where there is a series of swivel chairs with the bases fixed in position or movable, the seat portions may be oriented to various positions of rotation exhibiting an unpleasing appearance generally necessitating re-orientation of the seat portion after the occupant leaves the seat so as not to present an unattractive arrangement.

The present invention has for one of its objectives the provision of a swivel fixture that may be employed With chairs or other units of furniture including bar stools whereby the seat or rotatable member may be rotated readily to any desired orientation when subjected to a load or force, such as by a chair occupant, and as the load or force is removed, the chair or other article will be re-oriented automatically to a predetermined rest position.

Another objective of this invention is to provide a fixture that may be readily accommodated to the seat construction of a chair whereby the seat may be revolved to any position and when the revolving force is removed the chair will re-orient itself to a predetermined fixed position.

Still another objective of this invention is the provision of a mechanism that will yieldingly bias a seat or other object to a predetermined rest position.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an inexpensive fixture to be mounted on a chair seat, such as a bar stool or swivel chair, whereby the seat or stool will be maintained in a fixed position unless subjected to a torque sufficient to revolve or turn the seat and upon release of the torque the seat will re-orient itself to the fixed or predetermined rest position.

Other objects of this invention are to provide an inexpensive mechanism for chairs, bar stools and other articles for retaining the position of such chairs, seats and articles to a predetermined rest position after use without external means.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this novel fixture will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the fixture art upon examination of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the fixture embodying this invention to which a chair having a back has been mounted thereon and secured in position to the seat with the chair back and seat being shown in outline form only;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, exploded perspective view illustrating the various components of the fixture embodying this invention and as shown in the assembled condition in FIG. 1: and

3,224,724 Patented Dec. 21, 1965 FIG. 3 is a partial front perspective view of the roller and cam components illustrated in the rest or final position.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, the fixture 10 is illustrated in combination with a bar stool 11 in which the seat portion 12 is provided with spaced apart wood frame members 13 and 14 omitted from FIG. 1 but shown in exploded view in FIG. 2. The bar stool 11 may be provided with a back portion 15. Although the fixture 10 is described in conjunction with a chair or bar stool that is rotatable, this fixture may be employed with other articles where the same end objective is sought. The fixture 10 is rotatably mounted on the stanchion or vertical pedestal 16 that may have the requisite vertical length and may be secured by means of a floor flange or other suitable movable bases not shown, that may have casters thereon.

The fixture 10 is provided with a seat-supporting plate 17 of steel or other suitable material of appropriate strength characteristics with the plate being shaped to the desired contour providing radiating arms 18 that are drilled to provide apertures 19 for cooperatively receiving plate securing screws or bolts 20 which will engage with the wood members 13 and 14. A downwardly exten ing circular shaft bearing member 21 is securely fastened to the plate 17 either by welding or by swaging to the dished portion 22 of plate 17. The upper portion of the stanchion 16 has secured thereto a cardioid-shaped cam 23 into which there is bored a bearing shaft-receiving opening 24 for cooperatively and bearingly receiving shaft 21 therein which shaft will extend into the tubular stanchion 16 for a portion of its length. Cam 23 is provided with an accentuated cusp 25 opposite from the rest position cam recess 26 that is diametrically opposite from cusp 25. It will be apparent that cam 23 may be welded to the stanchion 16 or a short sleeve may be provided with the cam 23 to be slidably inserted into the stanchion 16 obviating the necessity for providing the stanchion tubing or pipe or to substitute another type base for such stanchion, A washer 27 is introduced preferably over the shaft 21 to reduce the bearing contact between the upper surface of the cam 23 and the lower surface of the plate 17. Cam follower arm 28 is pivotally mounted on plate 17 through the rivet 29 that is introduced through the offset end 30 of arm 28 with the rivet 29 passing through the openings 31 in arm 28 and 32 i plate 17 securing arm 28 to plate 17. The cam follower roller 33 preferably of nylon or Teflon or other suitable material may be provided with a cam-receiving circumferential groove 34 with the roller being rotatably mounted on the free end 35 of arm 28 by means of the rivet 36 that passes through washer 37 and the roller axial bore 38 and through the opening 39 in the free end 35 of arm 28.

A helical tension spring 40 is provided with terminal hooked ends 41 and 42. The hooked end 41 of spring 40 is securely retained in the hook-end receiving opening 43 intermediate the length of the arm 28 and the other hooked end 42 of spring 40 is securely anchored in position upon extension of the spring into the recess 44 in plate 17 adjacent to one edge thereof.

The assembled and positioned components will be oriented so that shaft 21 will be introduced into the cam opening 24 after the Washer 27 is in position and the follower cam roller 34 Will cooperatively receive the cam periphery 45 within the roller groove 34.

The bias of spring 40 exerted on the cam follower arm 28 will urge the roller 34 into contact with the cardioid cam periphery 45. The contour of the cam 23 is such that the exertion or biasing force exerted by spring 40 will urge the plate 17 to revolve upon removal of any torque or rotating force to the plate or seat member to which the plate may be attached so that the roller 34 will return to the rest position recess or notch 26 in cam 23. The accentuated cusp 25 is provided so that upon 180 degree rotation of the seat 12 and plate 17, the roller 34 will not dwell or reach a point of dead center but will tend to urge rotation of the seat and plate until the roller becomes re-oriented into the normal rest position in the recess 26.

It has been found convenient in some installations to provide at least one bolt 46 and sleeve 47 to be received in the opening 48 in one of the plate supporting members 14 for initial adjustment, however, screws 20 may be utilized in each of the openings '19 or bolts 46 as desired.

While it has been found preferable to employ a roller for the cam follower, a knife-edge follower may be employed, provided, however, there is not too much friction encountered. It is contemplated that the cam prole 45 will be such that when either a roller or knife-edge follower is employed that there will be a tendency for the spring 49 to urge the plate to the normal rest position such as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

Obviously many modifications and variations may be made to the contour of the plate 17, the type and configuration of the loading or spring return means and mechanism and the inter-relationship of the components without departing from the purpose and spirit of this invention and such modifications and alterations are contemplated within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A fixture for swivel chairs comprising a chair frame supporting plate, said plate having a central dished portion and a vertically extending shaft-bearing member, said shaft member depending from said plate dished central portion, a cardioid-shaped cam having a rest position recess and a diametrically opposite cusp, a tubular stanchion secured to said cam for cooperatively receiving the depending shaft-bearing member through said cam, a cam follower arm mounted at one end thereof to said supporting plate for pivotal movement in a plane parallel to said plate in juxtaposition to said cam, said follower arm having one end free reaching toward said cam, a cam follower roller rotatably mounted at the free end of said follower arm following an arcuate path of travel complementary to the cardioid-shaped cam, said roller having a circumferential recess for cooperatively receiving and positively retaining the cam perimeter therein, a helical spring secured at one end to an intermediate portion of said cam follower arm and the other end of said spring ecured to said plate to bias and urge the cam follower arm and cam follower into engagement with said cam whereby upon rotation of said plate relative to said cam, said follower arm will urge the plate to return to the cam rest position recess.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/1933 Miller et al. 248-417 10/1962 Dewas 139-124 

1. A FIXTURE FOR SWIVEL CHAIRS COMPRISING A CHAIR FRAME SUPPORTING PLATE, SAID PLATE HAVING A CENTRAL DISHED PORTION AND A VERTICALLY EXTENDING SHAFT-BEARING MEMBER, SAID SHAFT MEMBER DEPENDING FROM SAID PLATE DISHED CENTRAL PORTION, A CARDIOID-SHAPED CAM HAVING A REST POSITION RECESS AND A DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE CUSP, A TUBULAR STANCHION SECURED TO SAID CAM FOR COOPERATIVELY RECEIVING THE DEPENDING SHAFT-BEARING MEMBER THROUGH SAID CAM, A CAM FOLLOWER ARM MOUNTED AT ONE END THEREOF TO SAID SUPPORTING PLATE FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT IN A PLANE PARALLEL TO SAID PLATE IN JUXTAPOSITION TO SAID CAM, SAID FOLLOWER ARM HAVING ONE END FREE REACHING TOWARD SAID CAM, A CAM FOLLOWER ROLLER ROTATABLY MOUNTED AT THE FREE END OF SAID FOLLOWER ARM FOLLOWING AN ARCUATE PATH OF TRAVEL COMPLEMENTARY TO THE CARDIOID-SHAPED CAM, SAID ROLLER HAVING A CIRCUMFERENTIAL RECESS FOR COOPERATIVELY RECEIVING AND POSITIVELY RETAINING THE CAM PERIMETER THEREIN, A HELICAL SPRING SECURED AT ONE END TO AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION OF SAID CAM FOLLOWER ARM AND THE OTHER END OF SAID SPRING SECURED TO SAID PLATE TO BIAS AND URGE THE CAM FOLLOWER ARM AND CAM FOLLOWER INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID CAM WHEREBY UPON ROTATION OF SAID PLATE RELATIVE TO SAID CAM, SAID FOLLOWER ARM WILL URGE THE PLATE TO RETURN TO THE CAM REST POSITION RECESS. 